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Thursday, February 4, 2010

23 Things Kansas - Week Three - Online Meetings

Week three of my 23 Things Kansas training featured On-Line Meetings. What a great invention for folks like us who live far from what passes as civilization. Travel to Dodge City for a System-wide meeting requires nearly four hours of road time - four hours of non-productive, paid time per employee - plus mileage reimbursement for the driver. And that's just to go to Dodge. Training in Wichita, Topeka or other parts east requires overnight lodging and meals, so "webinars" are an abundant savings in both dollars and time for small libraries.

I have done library training on Verso, Overdrive, and other topics using both Wimba and Opel. The technology is great - allowing each participant to not only hear the instructor and view the presentation, but also to interact with the leader and each other by voice or text. Archiving also allows for more flixibility in timing as participants who can't join in live can still view/hear the demonstration at a more convenient time.

Webinars aren't just for libraries. Dave is able to attend a baseball/softball umpires rule meeting from home, rather than traveling to Dodge or Hays. This is definitely a trend for the future that connects rural areas with the world.